We read WhaleOil daily, and now that our ongoing internet problems have been sorted, we can comment there again. But we accept that Cam, aka Whale isn't everyone's cup of tea. But he sure seems to have an array of sources, and he's broken some hum-dingers of stories, beating the MSM newshounds. Not the least of these was the sordid tale of Winston Peters hanging on to his ministerial self-drive, months after we had given him the DCM.
And whilst we knew that Cam has battled depression, we didn't realise the extent of it - the S-ST notes:
"The first year was dark, very dark," recalls Slater. "I'd stay inside all day, the curtains pulled, unable to make decisions. You open the freezer and try to decide what you're going to cook for dinner, you can't even do that, so you go back to bed."
To get him out of the house, one of his mates insisted he come and work in his office, free of charge. As "an outlet, a place to let off steam", he says blogging has helped him, as do his daily workouts.
But he still battles despair, takes medication, sees a psychologist each month. Undoubtedly, the desperation of his circumstances has shaped his blogging persona.
We know what it is like to battle depression. We've been down that dark, lonely road for a not-insignificant portion of the last ten years. We commend Cam for being so open about it, even though it may leave him open to ridicule from his opponents in the blogosphere. It takes guts to get to the other side, and we wish Cam success in his personal battle.'
We can also relate to his comments about a blogging persona. We can say that the thoughts expressed here on Keeping Stock don't always reflect our mood on any given day. But being able to take on an alter-ego (or in our case, three; those of me, myself and I!) is helpful. Not only is it very therapeutic; it's also highly addictive!
So hang in there Cam, aka Whale, and don't let the buggers get away with anything!
3 comments:
Oh dear .. so we have been reading the wailings of a psychotropically modified whale .... tropo! ... like, great!
Your place is probably the best to run with a political rugby analogy Inv, so if Cameron will forgive me for comparing him with a Pom, I'd liken him to Brian Moore...far more intelligent than anyone ever gave him credit for, adept in all those dark corners of the game and awesome at getting right up the opposition's nose...
I thought it was a very good piece. perhaps it is reflective of his place in the media now - he's become one of the go-to sources. I thought the dismissive comments from Russell Brown were about what I could expect. At least WhaleOil could never be said to reflect the chattering classes of Grey Lynn. And how typical of Russell he turns personal when he cannot find something to say. I appreciated the story of his struggle with mental illness - like you, I've been in that place at times.
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